Chapter 490

Chapter 490: Liberation

“Ouch! Uncles… wah, wah, wah! It hurts so much! I really can’t take it anymore… wah, wah, wah… Please, please let me go…”

On the cold, sterile operating table lay a little girl who appeared no older than ten. Her small, frail figure trembled violently in a loose white patient gown. Her tear-streaked face bore an expression of unbearable pain, her delicate cat-like ears twitching weakly as she gasped for breath. She was a half-beast child, barely clinging to life.

Sweat poured down her tiny face, mixing with her endless tears. Her features twisted in agony, her fragile body convulsing under the effects of some cruel, unknown drug. The substance wreaked havoc on her mind and body, subjecting her to horrifying nightmares while steadily draining her life away.

Yet the researchers surrounding her showed no emotion.

They hovered over her with cold, detached efficiency, their faces devoid of pity. Her pitiful cries were nothing but background noise in their relentless pursuit of “progress.”

Her fate had been sealed long ago. Sold off by desperate parents driven to suicide by financial ruin, she was another nameless victim in a cycle of exploitation.

A fate all too common in the Ring City.

Suddenly, the girl let out a strangled gasp. Her tiny body convulsed violently. Her eyes rolled back, and her trembling ceased. Her lips parted in a faint, whispered plea before she fell limp on the table, her chest no longer rising or falling.

“She’s gone,” one researcher said flatly, glancing at a monitor. “Heart failure.”

Another nodded without a flicker of emotion. “Good. While her organs are still viable, begin the transfer immediately.”

They moved with methodical precision, preparing the tools for the grisly task.

Above the girl, a hovering surgical robot extended a scalpel, aligning it with her abdomen.

But just as the blade was about to descend, a voice echoed through the sterile lab.

“I understand your logic. To you, this is just another day at work. You’re not evil in your own eyes—just professionals doing a job. But unfortunately for you, I’m not a wise judge here to weigh the nuances of morality.”

The researchers froze, their heads whipping toward the source of the voice.

Before they could react further, the surgical robot spun sharply, its blade slashing with deadly precision.

The first researcher fell, his throat a gaping wound. Blood sprayed in an arc across the cold, sterile walls.

The second followed moments later, collapsing in a pool of crimson.

Hovering in the doorway, Bai Yan stepped forward, his expression calm yet filled with quiet fury.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned a warm, golden glow that enveloped the little girl’s body. He murmured incantations, his mind channeling immense power to stabilize her fragile state.

“Laws,” Bai Yan said softly, closing his eyes, “are nothing more than tools for those who rule. And the ruling class of Ring City and I… are not on the same side.”

A wave of psychic energy burst forth, rippling through the laboratory like an unseen tide. Fear gripped the remaining researchers as their minds were invaded, their consciousness consumed by Bai Yan’s overwhelming presence.

Across the room, countless “subjects” in cages—debtors awaiting grim fates—gasped in astonishment as the locks on their cages sprung open.

Mu Ling and Maryse stood silently by Bai Yan, their faces pale as they took in the horrific scene before them.

“This place…” Mu Ling whispered, her voice trembling. “It’s pure evil.”

Her fists clenched as she

scanned the rows of trembling

captives and lifeless bodies.

What disturbed her most

wasn’t the researchers’ actions

—but how such atrocities had

become routine in Ring City.

“Why?” she asked aloud, her

voice tinged with frustration.

“Even with colonies in other

worlds, why are they still so

determined to exploit their own

people like this? It doesn’t

make sense…”

Bai Yan gave a grim smile. “In

the eyes of these so-called

‘predators,’ people are just

resources. It doesn’t matter if

they’re domestic or foreign.

Cooperation, confrontation,

exploitation, or consumption—

those are the only options

these ‘rulers’ consider.”

Maryse, who had been silent,

spoke softly. “It’s no different

from my father, really. A so-

called philanthropist, but his

every act of charity is designed

to serve his own interests.

People like him disgust me.”

“Let’s keep moving,” Bai Yan

said. “There are countless labs

like this across Ring City. We

have work to do.”

As if on cue, the gates of Babel

Tower shimmered behind

them. Emerging from the

portal were a group of Omnics,

each bearing an uncanny

resemblance to Amy. Silent

and efficient, they began

evacuating the rescued

captives.

But Mu Ling’s brow furrowed.

“Rock Morgan won’t take this

lying down. Their retaliation is

coming.”

“They’re already here,” Maryse

said, her voice sharp.

A suffocating killing intent

filled the room as two figures

appeared at the far end of the

lab.

A man and a woman.

Both were clad in elegant

attire, their movements precise

and deliberate. The air around

them crackled with energy, the

faint glow of teleportation still

fading from their forms.

“Maintainers,” Bai Yan

murmured.

The confrontation was swift

and brutal.

Despite their confidence, the

agents of Rock Morgan—both

skilled and lethal—were no

match for the raw,

overwhelming power of Babel

Tower’s operatives.

By the time the dust settled,

the laboratory lay in ruins, its

horrors exposed to the light.

And as Bai Yan stood amidst

the wreckage, a quiet resolve

burned in his heart.

For every lab destroyed, a

dozen more waited.

But as long as the flames of

Babel Tower burned, there

would be hope.

Hope for liberation.